Against the odds (Sherlock love story)
by Riley N. Rogers
Summary: Jessamy Abbott just moved to Baker Street after ending her 5 years engagement. Mrs Hudson offered her the place, but not everyone is happy about it. Will she be able to get along with the detective or they will always try to overpower each other?
1. Chapter 1

"Oh, hello." I've heard a male voice from behind as I put down another box full of books. I wiped my forehead tiredly. "You're the new neighbour?" He asked curiously as I turned to face him. I hated moving, but I was almost finished. Well, at least with packing the boxes out of the car…

"Hi, yes." I smiled at him offering my hand "Jessamy Abbott, nice to meet you."

"John Watson." He introduced as we shook hands. "Nice to meet you too." He said returning the smile.

"And you are?" I turned now to Watson's accompany who stand in silence examining me judgingly.

"You are terribly unwelcome here." He added then I realized he must be that Sherlock Homes Mrs Hudson was talking about. She was not overacting when she said he could be quite unpleasant.

"It's good to see you too, Mr Holmes." I sent him a smile either way then I grabbed a box to take it inside.

"Please, let me help you." Watson took the box out of my hand as I picked another, less heavy one.

"Why are you moving here?" Holmes asked walking in with us.

"Why, you are the famous detective, why don't you tell me?" I asked him and I saw the sparkle in his eyes. It only took him a moment to give me an answer. A quite accurate one to be honest.

"You broke up your engagement recently."

I just nodded approving his theory.

"What… How…" Watson seemed a bit confused and I looked at Holmes. He was staring into my eyes, as he explained.

"She was wearing her engagement ring for a long time, its sign is still visible on her left ring finger, not on the right, that's how I know that she wasn't married. Plus, she still tries to play with it seeking for security in a situation she's uncomfortable with, just like now." He told to Watson rapidly not taking his eyes off of me. "Am I correct, Miss Abbott?"

"Perfectly, Mr Holmes." I answered to him. It would've been useless to deny it.

"She seems pretty carefree." He answered Watson's untold next question, about how he deducted that I ended that and not my fiancé.

"Impressive." Watson murmured under his nose as we put down the boxes.

"Reading people is not that hard." I commented and I felt Holmes' curious gaze on me.

"Well, I guess then reading me won't be a problem for you." He challenged me, but I wasn't afraid. Two could play that game, and I wasn't that bad either.

"Let's see." I turned to him asking a moment for myself while I checked him out. "Your IQ is extremely high, and thanks to that you're one hell of a detective, although along with that your EQ tends to zero, which makes you socially unbearable." I stated and Watson couldn't helped but chuckled. "And Mr Watson's laugh just tells me that this is the ugly truth." I added.

"Please, call me John." He said being still entertained.

"Jessy." I nodded asking him the same.

"That would have been obvious even for John." Holmes commented not being satisfied.

"Hey." John said being a little offended.

"I'm not done yet." I reassured Holmes continuing. "You're highly competitive and get frustrated if you're not the best at something which makes me think you have some family issues. If I'm right your parents wasn't supportive enough and did not acknowledge your talent. There might be an older sibling too, a brother maybe whose probably more successful, at least that's what you think." I guessed and seeing his face I become sure. "Yes, definitely."

"Your coat is covered by fur, but you don't have any pet. You're working with animals but usually pets, not livestock. Since I saw a diploma in one of your boxes, I highly doubt you work at the animal shelter. More so a veterinary, right doctor?" He asked as he revealed another fact about me, but yet again he was true.

"Even though you're a great mastermind, you can't stand intimacy and can get easily embarrassed in daily situations, just like when people physically get too close to you." I continued not bothering to answer as I walked right in front of him. "Especially if that someone is an attractive women." I added as we were only inches away. He was way taller than me, but it didn't stop me.

"You suggesting I find you attractive?" He asked with a blank expression, but I saw through it.

"Considering your level of awkwardness, yes, I think you find me quite… appealing." I teased him stepping back to packing while John stand in awe and Holmes in silent.

"Don't get too comfortable." He commented then left without any other word.

"How did you do that?" John asked me still being shocked.

"What?" I asked him smiling at his surprise.

"I've never saw anyone outsmarting Sherlock." He answered as we went outside for another round of box-packing.

"I did not outsmart him." I disagreed. Holmes discovered as much about me as much I did about him, if not more.

"Well, you left him speechless for sure." He added smiling kindly at me.

"I guess I just don't like bullies." I shrugged being happy that at least one of my neighbour likes me.


	2. Chapter 2

I nearly dropped my cup of tea as I've heard the ear-splitting noise from the neighbor. I could've bet it was Sherlock doing some experiment as usual, but then I've heard it again.

Couldn't be gunshot, could it? I was thinking as I decided to check on that. The noise had been repeated for a several times as I approached the 221/B.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I asked him as I entered and noticed his gun. He was still in his PJ-s covering himself with a robe.

"Bored." He murmured shooting again at the wall not even looking at me.

"What?" I asked again just to be sure.

"Bored!" He said this time yelling. "Bored! Bored!" He repeated and with every word he shot another bullet.

"No..." I muttered walking right in front of him so he couldn't pull the trigger anymore. "Stop it!" I ordered and at least I've earned his attention now. He looked at me checking every little details.

"Oh." He said meaningfully. "Your nails are just freshly polished, your hair is perfectly done, probably you visited a hair dresser not a long time ago, your dress is new and completely fits together, there's not even a crease. You just bought a new perfume, a quite pleasant one, I must admit." He finished the diagnosis pausing. "You're just as miserable without work as me, Doctor, you just hide it better." He added hinting at my boredom too and he was right again. I haven't found a job and I had a hard time in the interviews since my ex-fiance make impossible for me to get in anywhere...

"What the hell happened?" Asked John stepping we were still staring at each other.

"He got bored." I said shrugged breaking our eye contact.

"She got bored too." He said defending himself.

"Well at least she didn't take it out on the wall..." John said looking at me. "Oh, you look lovely today, Jessy." He complimented smiling as Sherlock looked at me with his told-you-so face.

"Thank you, John." I returned his smile.

"The wall had it coming." Sherlock told him didn't even care our little chat. "Don't know what's got into the criminal classes." He commented to John.

"What about that Russian case? Belarus?" John asked hopefully.

"Open and shut domestic murder. Not worth my time." He answered hopping on the coach then he lay down.

"Oh, shame." I said.

"Anything in? I'm starving." John asked then left to the kitchen. "Jessy?" He turned to me as he opened the fridge.

"Oh, f... " He said closing it back immediately. "There's a head. A severed head!" He explained it to me seeing my face.

"Just tea for me, thanks." We heard Sherlock from the living room.

"No, there's a head in the fridge." John walked back in shock and anger while I checked it myself too. "A bloody head!"

"Well, where else could I put it?" He asked not understanding John's problem. "Got it from Barts morgue."

"Are you measuring the coagulation of some kind of poison or drug?" I asked him curiously still from the kitchen, but since I haven't got any answer yet I went back to the others.

"Salvia, indeed." Sherlock looked at me a bit surprised but I just nodded.

"I see you've written up the taxi driver case." I turned back to John preventing his question.

"Er...yes." He said hesitantly.

"A Study In Pink." Sherlock commented. "Nice."

"Well, you know. Pink lady, pink case, pink phone. There was a lot of pink." John explained. "Did you like it?" He asked me.

"Um...no." Sherlock immediately responded not waiting for me, but John still looked at me.

"Yes, I found it really entertaining." I smiled at him encouragingly. "Why not?" I asked Sherlock this time.

"Yeah, I thought you'd be flattered." John added.

"Flattered?!" He asked disbelievingly. "Sherlock sees through everything and everyone in seconds. What's incredible, though, is how spectacularly ignorant he is about some things." He cited from the writing by heart.

"Hang on, I didn't mean that..." John tried to explain, but he interrupted.

"Oh, you meant spectacularly ignorant in a nice way." He said giving him a sarcastic facial expression. "Look, it doesn't matter to me who's Prime Minister or... I know. ..who's sleeping with who..."

"Whether the Earth goes round the sun." I murmured but he heard it.

"That again! It's not important!" He started to freak out and I had to chuckle. Honestly I didn't think it's the end of the world. He was a great mastermind and in daily basis it really did not matter...

"Not impor...?! It's primary school stuff. How can you not know that?" John still fought to believe it.

"Well, if I ever did, I've deleted it." He said it simply and I understood. He didn't want to occupy his mind with everyday stuffs. "Listen. This is my hard drive, and it only makes sense to put things in there that are useful. REALLY useful. Ordinary people fill their heads with all kinds of rubbish. That makes it hard to get at the stuff that matters. Do you see?"

"Every magic comes with a price, John." I tried to help him to process. "Let it go." I gently touched his shoulder but he was persistent.

"But it's the solar system!"

"Oh, hell! What does that matter?! So we go round the sun. If we went round the moon, or round and round the garden like a teddy bear, it wouldn't make any difference! All that matters to me is the work! Without that, my brain rots! Put that in your blog!" Sherlock shouted at him being tired of him now. "Or, better still, stop inflicting your opinions on the world!" He said turning his back at us then John stood up preparing to leave.

"Where are you going?" Sherlock asked turning back.

"Out! I need some air." He added. "Sorry, Jessy." He apologized, but I just shook my head letting him to go.

Sherlock got up and hurried to the window as soon as we heard the door closing behind John.

"Look at that. Quiet. Calm. Peaceful." Sherlock turned to me. "Isn't it hateful?"

"I wouldn't worry." I replied. "It's just the calm before the storm." I reassured him. I knew how hard could be doing literally nothing.

"Mmm. Can't come too soon." He said thinking as he turned back to me leaving the window.

*BOOM*

The explosion hit us hard as we both fell on the ground. For a moment I had no idea what happened. My ears were hurting and the tinnitus was unberable. My rib ached since Sherlock landed on top of me and breathing was hard too. I groaned in pain as he get off of me.

"What the hell was that?" I asked coughing as I stood up too dusting myself off. Our whole wall gone where Sherlock was standing a moment before. We heard the car alarms beeping and soon sirens too.

He just disappeared to his bedroom ignoring my question.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, I thought he might hit his head as he fell.

"Mycroft will be here in any minute." He commented and I realized he went in to change.

He was right. I didn't even had a time to leave when the door bell rang and Mycroft appeared. Sherlock was already sitting in his armchair with his violin in his lap.

I opened the door rolling my eyes a bit.

"Sherlock are you... okay?"He started but got taken aback as he saw me.

"He's perfectly fine, except the fact that he's still Sherlock." I answered smirking. "I'm Jessamy Abbott, and here you find your brother." I introduced myself holding out my hand.

"Mycroft Holmes." He said taking my hand but instead of a shake, he placed a gentle kiss on it. "As much as I'd love to meet you in different circumstances I have to ask you to leave, Miss Abbott." He said politely yet firmly. "I have to talk to Sherlock."

"Please, call me Jessy, and not a problem, I was about to leave." I give him a smile while I was about to open the door again.

"Jessy, stay." Sherlock called after me ordering. I was surprised since I haven't noticed when did we get onto first name basis but his tone bothered me more. I tuned back to him raising my eyebrows. And after what? Sit and roll? I thought to myself. "Please." He added sensing my mood. It must've been difficult to him to ask me this nice, so it must be important to him.

I decided to fulfill his request.

"Jessy is a partner of me too." Sherlock explained to his brother obviously to vex him. Everything was about to compete him.

"Oh, really." Mycroft asked shocked a bit, but then his curiosity won. "And may I ask the nature of the partnership?" He questioned suggesting we are more than colleagues.

"I believe it's none of your business, brother." He refused to tell him the truth silently confirming his guess. I shook my head walking back to the kitchen. I didn't want to get involved in their rivalry.

"Anyone would like a tea?" I asked them already boiling some water.

"Yes, thanks." They answered in synchronously. I've already known that Sherlock drinks his tea with a little milk. "Mycroft, would you like some sugar, honey or milk in it?" I questioned but almost immediately corrected myself remembering. "Oh, I'm sorry, your diet, never mind."

"Is she...?" I've heard his amused tone and I had to chuckle.

"Yes, she's not blind." Sherlock answered. "She can observe."

"I'm sorry." I said apologizing about the sweeteners as I served the cups of tea a few minutes later. "But I think it's better this way. Those sweet thing wouldn't be good for your teeth either." I murmured as I took a place on the couch.

"Amazing." He said still in a bit awe. "She's just like you... well, except that she's not annoying but pretty attractive."

"Sherlock! Jessy!" John rushed worriedly but he calmed down as he saw us in one piece.

"John." Sherlock greeted him nodding.

"I saw it on the telly. Are you guys OK?" He questioned looking at us.

"What? Oh, yeah, fine." Sherlock answered first. "Gas leak, apparently." He added while John walked and set next to me on the sofa. I squeezed his hand in reassurance as he was looking at me concerned.

"I can't." Sherlock turned back to Mycroft already knowing he's here because of a case.

"Can't?" He asked just like he didn't hear it at the first time.

"Stuff I've got on is just too big. I can't spare the time." He said playing a rhythm on his violin.

"Never mind your usual trivia." He tried to talk sense into him. "This is of national importance." He argued but as he didn't get any answer he continued. "All right, then let Jessy help me."

"What?" the question slipped through my mouth unintentionally, but Sherlock saved me.

"If you're so keen, why don't you investigate it?"

"No." He answered shaking his head. "I can't possibly be away from the office for any length of time. Not with the Korean elections so..." He took a pause realizing he already told us too much. "Well, you don't need to know about that, do you? Besides, a case like this, it requires...legwork." He said trying to handle the case dossier to Sherlock. "How's Sarah, John?" He asked walking closer to him now giving the files to him.

"How was the Lilo?" Sherlock added, but this time he was wrong. It wasn't a Lilo, more like a...

"Sofa, Sherlock." I corrected realizing it. "It was the sofa."

"Oh, yes, of course." He said confirming my right.

"How...?" John asked being confused again, but then he let it go. "Oh, never mind."

"Sherlock's business seems to be booming since you and he became... pals." Mycroft started to John. "What's he like to live with? Hellish, I imagine."

"I'm never bored." He answered simply.

"Good. That's good, isn't it?" He commented then started to explain the case to us. "Andrew West, known as Westie to his friends. Civil servant. Found dead on the tracks at Battersea station this morning with his head smashed in."

"Jumped in front of a train?" John asked.

"Seems the logical assumption." Mycroft nodded.

"But he did not." I muttered.

"Hah! " He said signing I'm right. "The MoD is working on a new missile defence system, the Bruce-Partington Program it's called. The plans for it were on a memory stick."

"That wasn't very clever." John commented.

"It's not the only copy." Mycroft informed us. "But it is secret. And missing. We think West must have taken the memory stick. We can't risk it falling into the wrong hands. You've got to find those plans, Sherlock" He turned back to his brother. "Don't make me order you."

"I'd like to see you try." He sassed as they were staring daggers.

"Think it over." He warned him in the end then turned to us. "Goodbye, John. It was a pleasure, Jessy, see you very soon." He said smirking then left.

"Why did you lie?" John asked Sherlock when his brother couldn't hear it. "You've got nothing on. Not a single case. That's why the wall took a pounding. Why did you tell your brother you were busy?" He questioned but he was just sitting there not even bother to look at his roommate.

"Why shouldn't he?" I answered his question as the detective looked at me in the eye.

"Oh. Nice. Sibling rivalry. Now we're getting somewhere." John said complaining, as Sherlock turned his attention back to his violin, but then his phone started to ring.

"Sherlock Holmes." He picked it up keenly. "Of course. How could I refuse?" He said cheerfully then hung up. "Lestrade - I've been summoned." He summarized it for us, standing up from the chair immediately as he took his coat on . John was preparing too. "Coming?" He looked at me this time, but I just looked back at him suspiciously. "Oh, don't tell me you have better things to do."

"You only want me to come, so you can be sure, I'm not helping your brother out." I made him face the fact but I was already taking my coat too. I genuinely didn't have any other plan for the afternoon.

"I would never do that..." He said with a half-smirk while we all left the Baker Street 221.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, you're working with Sherlock too?" A man with gray hair asked me as we arrived to the station.

"Apparently." Sherlock murmured impatiently rolling his eyes at him asking obvious questions instead of real work.

"Apparently." I repeated ironically holding my hand for a shake. "Jessamy Abbott."

"DI Lestrade." He did the same. "But you can call me Greg." He smiled at me. "May I ask how you happened to meet him?"

"God, please, no!" Sherlock burst out irritably as Greg looked at him surprised.

"Sherlock only meant we would like to hear about the case first if it's possible." I explained it to him saving the situation.

"Of course!" He said. "You like the funny ones, don't you?" Lestrade turned to Sherlock, who didn't answer. "You'll love this." He ensured him. "That explosion."

"Gas leak, yes?" Sherlock asked eagerly.

"No." Lestrade shook his head while we entered his work-station. "Made to look like one. Hardly anything left of the place, except a strongbox." He explained. "A VERY strong box, and inside it was this." He pulled out a letter.

"You haven't opened it?" He asked as he took it.

"It's addressed to you, isn't it?" The officer asked rhetorically "We've X-rayed it. It's not booby-trapped." He commented just to calm us.

"How reassuring." I murmured as I took a look on the envelope. "Nice stationery. Bohemian." I said. "From the Czech Republic." I added to him. "No fingerprints?" I turned to Lestrade.

"No." He confirmed my guess raising his eyebrow in confusion.

"She used a fountain pen. Parker Duofold, iridium nib." Sherlock continued the examination.

"She?" John asked surprised.

"Obviously." I nodded checking the addressing on the front.

"Obviously..." He repeated rolling his eyes a bit.

"So Jessy is..." I've heard Greg asking John trying to find the right words. "She is... like him?" He finally finished the sentence while Sherlock opened the envelope. He found a cellphone in it as John just nodded.

"But that... That's the phone. The pink phone." John said in shock.

"What, from The Study In Pink?" Lestrade questioned surprised.

"Obviously, it's not the same phone, but it's supposed to look like... " Sherlock started to explain but then his mind alerted him "Study In Pink"? You read his blog?" He turned to face the other detective.

"Of course. We all do." He told. "Do you REALLY not know that the Earth goes round the sun?" He just couldn't miss the opportunity to ask him, but Sherlock ignored it turning back to the case.

"It isn't the same phone. This one's brand-new."

"Someone's taken trouble to make it look the same" I agreed.

"Which means your blog has a far wider readership." Sherlock told John as he turned on the phone.

'You have one new message.' - It said then we heard five Greenwich time signal pips.

"Was that it?" John asked not understanding, but then the phone beeped again signalling the arrival of a photo.

My heart skipped a bit as I looked at it. It was my apartment. From this very morning to be accurate. I could tell, considering that I left my clothes on the chair last night since I was too tired to take them in place.

"What the hell are we supposed to make of that? A photo of a messy apartment and the bloody Greenwich pips." Greg asked desperately.

"It's not that messy!" I told him being self-conscious and I immediately felt Sherlock's piercing look on me. "And it's a warning..." I added locking eyes with the mastermind thinking hard about the person's motive.

"A warning?" Lestrade asked but I was too upset to answer.

"Some secret societies used to send dried melon seeds, orange pips, things like that - five pips. They're warning us it's going to happen again." Sherlock told them not breaking our eye contact. "The question is why did they broke in to your flat." He asked me excluding the others for a moment.

"Hang on" John said trying to process the information. "It's your house? The 221/C?" He asked turning to me. We met some times in these couple of days for tea but I was the one who always went over, since my tiny apartment wouldn't be that comfortable.

Sherlock was about to answer again but John stopped him.

"Obviously, I know... And what's going to happen again?"

"Boom!" Sherlock said turning and heading back to Baker Street.

"Keys." Asked Sherlock as we arrived to my apartment.

"I can open the door Sherlock, I live here." I reminded him slipping the right key in the hole.

"We don't know what's inside." He said showing his real self for a second. The one who's concerned about others. "You could ruin the evidences." He explained himself, pushing me away gently. John scoffed but I looked at him smirking knowing the truth.

As he entered he took a quick look around collecting all the information he could before he noticed:

"Shoes." He announced it already approaching the shoes in the middle of the living-room. He even leaned close to it as I watched him breathless when John warned him.

"He's a bomber, remember."

Then the mobile rang giving all of us a mild heart attack.

"Hello." Sherlock answered it putting it on a speaker.

"H-Hello...sexy." We heard a woman raggedly breathing over the phone.

"Who's this?" Sherlock asked, but a woman just sobbed first.

"I've...sent you...a little puzzle, 'just to say hi.'"

"Who's talking? Why are you crying?" He questioned more.

"I...I'm not crying." Said the woman still crying. "I'm typing, and this...stupid bitch is reading it out." She explained then paused. "12 hours to solve my puzzle, Sherlock... or I'm going to be so... naughty." She said sobbing then the line broke.

We decided to head the morgue's lab to check out the shoes as soon as possible.

"So, who do you suppose it was?" John asked Sherlock as he was examining a sample with a microscope. "Woman on the phone - the crying woman." He repeated since he didn't get any answer.

"Oh, she doesn't matter, she's just a hostage." Sherlock said finally "No lead there." He explained.

"I wasn't thinking about leads." John said getting upset about Sherlock's ignorance.

"You're not going to be much use to her." He added as he turned back to the microscope.

"Jessy?" John turned to me for help but exceptionally Sherlock was right in this.

"We should focus on solving the puzzle, it will save her." I said looking at him guilty, while Sherlock checked upon me curiously.

"Are they at least trying to trace it? Trace the call?" John tried.

"Bomber's too smart for that." Sherlock cut it short turning back to the examination as his mobile beeped. "Pass my phone, Jessy."

"Where is it?" I asked him.

"Jacket." He said as I rolled my eyes walking to him. I was pretty sure it was about him proving he's okay being close to me.

I stepped at his side right across the pocket where he kept his phone so I had to lean over him to reach the mobile.

"Careful!" He snapped as he had to leave the microscope giving me space. For a moment our faces were only inches away as his greenish eyes met my blue one.

"Sorry." I said quietly, glimpsing at his lips as I lingered there enjoying his uneasiness.

"Khm." I've heard John clearing his throat feeling awkward.

"Eight texts from your brother." I checked Sherlock's phone as I leaned back. "Should I delete them?" I asked him already knowing the answer.

"Yes, please."

"Delete them?" John asked surprised.

"Plans are out of the country. Nothing we can do." Sherlock said.

"Well, Mycroft thinks there is. He's texted you eight times. Must be important." He argued.

"Andrew West stole the missile plans, tried to sell them, got his head smashed in, end of story." Sherlock told him fast. "The only mystery is why my brother is so determined to bore me when somebody is being so interesting."

"Try and remember there's a woman who might die." John added bot wanting to believe his friend's attitude.

"What for?" Sherlock asked honestly. "There's hospitals full of people dying, Doctor. Why don't you go and cry by their bedside and see what good it does them?" He asked and probably John wanted to retort but the computer beeped signaling a match just as a woman stepped in.

"Any luck?" She asked then she turned to me suspiciously examining my physical closeness to Sherlock since I was still standing next to him. "I believe we haven't met before."

"Oh, yes, sorry, I'm Jessamy Abbott." I stepped to her introducing myself. "I'm..."

"My consultant." Sherlock finished it as we all looked at him surprised but none of us could say a word since a man stepped in too.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't..." He apologized wanting to leave, but Molly called him.

"Jim, hi! Come in! Come in! Jim, this is Sherlock Holmes and Jessamy Abbott." She introduced us to him. "And, er... Sorry." She tried to remember John's name but she failed miserably.

"John Watson. Hi." He helped her out.

"Hi." He said only glancing at him as he turned his attention to Sherlock "So you're Sherlock Holmes. Molly's told me all about you. You on one of your cases?" He said fanboying over him walking closer. I could've bet a great amount of money on that he was more interested in men then women...

"Jim works in IT, upstairs." Molly explained proudly. "That's how we met. Office romance." She chuckled in excitement just as Jim did.

Sherlock looked at him for a moment.

"Gay." He muttered turning back to the computer.

"Sorry, what?" Molly asked shocked.

"Nothing. Um, hey." He corrected himself with a fake smile on.

"Hi." Jim greeted as well but he dropped a tray on the floor in his embarrassment. "Sorry. Sorry!" He said picking it up placing back it to its place. "Well, I'd better be off. I'll see you at the Fox. About sixish?" He turned to Molly.

"Yeah." Molly nodded smiling "Bye."

"Bye." He answered. "It was nice to meet you." He gazed Sherlock but he was not even listening.

"You too." I cleared my throat breaking the awkward silence, then he left.

"What do you mean, gay? We're together." Molly asked in a high-pitched voice.

"Domestic bliss must suit you, Molly." He answered. "You've put on 3 lb since I last saw you."

"Two-and-a-half." She argued self-consciously.

"No, three." He declared as Molly pressed her lips together in frustration.

"Sherlock." I gently hit his shoulder in warning he went too far.

"He's not gay! Why do you have to spoil...? He's not!" Molly tried to save the game in not much success.

"With that level of grooming?" Sherlock asked in disbelief.

"Because he puts product in his hair? I put product in my hair." John tried to help Molly, but it was no use.

To be correct, Jim was gay indeed, but Sherlock really shouldn't have to get involved like this.

"You wash your hair, there's a difference." He said answering John. "Oh, come on, Jessy, I know you noticed too!" He looked at me for some confirmation.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I added with a blank expression, but he just scoffed.

"Tinted eyelashes, signs of taurine cream around the frown lines, those tired, clubber's eyes. Then there's his underwear." He started.

"His underwear?" John asked confused.

"Visible above the waistline. Very particular brand." He said then lifted the tray. "Plus the suggestive fact that he left his number under this dish. I'd say you'd better break it off now and save yourself the pain." He turned to Molly who just stormed out of the lab.

"Charming, well done." I murmured.

"Just saving her time. Isn't that kinder?" He asked thinking it seriously.

"Kinder? No, no, Sherlock, that wasn't kind." John said.

"Go on, then." He said suggesting John should examine the shoes and tell what's he thinking. "You know what I do. Off you go."

"Oh... No. I'm not going to let you humiliate me while I..." He argued but Sherlock interrupted.

"An outside eye, a second opinion - it's very useful to me."

"Yeah, right." He scoffed.

"Really!" Sherlock persevered.

"Fine." John agreed eventually then he cleared his throat. "Oh, they're just a pair of sh... trainers." He started and I smiled kindly at him.

"Good." Sherlock nodded.

"Um... They're in good nick. I'd say they were pretty new, except the sole has been well worn, so the owner must have had them for a while. Er, very '80s. Probably one of those retro designs." He guessed more information.

"You're on sparkling form. What else?" Sherlock encouraged him.

"They're quite big. A man's." John said but then frowned. "But there's traces of a name inside in felt-tip. Adults don't write their names inside their shoes, so these belong to a kid." He corrected himself.

"Excellent. What else?" The detective said curiously what else he can add.

"Er... That's it." He finished. "How did I do?"

"Well, John. Really well." He nodded acknowledging. "I mean, you missed almost everything of importance, but, you know..." He added then looked at me. "Your turn."

"Sherlock, I'm not going to compete like a school girl..." I said. I really didn't wanted to embarrass John.

"Why you are not here because of your pretty face. Prove me I was right about you!" He riposted but I just smirked.

"First, you're Sherlock Holmes, you know you're right. Second, you just admitted I'm pretty." I grinned as he rolled his eyes.

"Just go on already."

"As you wish..." I muttered concentrating on the shoes. "The owner loved these. Scrubbed them clean. Whitened them. Changed the laces three...no, four times. There are traces of flaky skin where his fingers have come into contact with them, so he had eczema. The shoes are more worn on the inner side, so he had weak arches. British-made, 20 years old." I told them fast with almost one breath then I looked up to see was I right.

"20 years?" John asked as Sherlock just stood there in silence. Did I left him speechless again? I couldn't decide what he's thinking so I answered instead.

"They're not retro, they're original. Limited edition - two blue stripes, 1989. There's still mud on them. They look new. Someone's kept them that way. Quite a bit of mud caked on the soles." I said still trying to figure out Sherlock, but he just nodded barely visibly then continued.

"Analysis shows it's from Sussex with London mud overlaying it."

"How do you know?" John questioned.

"Pollen. Clear as a map reference. South of the river. This kid came to London from Sussex 20 years ago and left the trainers behind."Sherlock answered.

"Something bad must've happened." I was thinking. "He loved those shoes. He'd never leave them filthy. Wouldn't let them go unless he had to."

"So, a child with big feet gets..." John summed up but Sherlock realized something.

"Carl Powers..."

"Sorry, who?" I asked. It didn't ring the bell.

"Carl Powers, Jessy."

"What is it?" John questioned now.

"It's where I began. 1989, kid, champion swimmer, came from Brighton for a school sports tournament, drowned in the pool." He explained as he started to pack. We already had what we needed so there was no reason to stay at the morgue.

"Tragic accident. You wouldn't remember it. But you do." I told him. "Something fishy about it?"

"Nobody thought so. Nobody except me." He muttered remembering. "I was only a kid myself. I read about it in the papers. The boy, Carl Powers, had some kind of fit in the water, but by the time they got him out, it was too late. There was something wrong somewhere. I couldn't get it out of my head." He said as we left the lab waiting patiently for him to finish. "His shoes. They weren't there. I made a fuss. I tried to get the police interested, but nobody seemed to think it was important. He'd left all the rest of his clothes in his locker, but there was no sign of his shoes."

"Until now." I said nodding as we took a cab to ride back home.

"Can I help? I want to help." John asked as we settled in Sherlock's room continuing the research. "There's only five hours left." He announced it seriously as my mobile beeped signalling a message.

"It's your brother." I told Sherlock as I opened it. "He's texting me now."

"Look, he did say...national importance." John said trying to make Sherlock care about the case.

"Hmm! How quaint!" He answered not even bothering to look up.

"You can't just ignore it." John was desperate to talk sense into him.

"I'm not ignoring it." Sherlock agreed finally as I looked at him curiously. "Putting my best man onto it right now."

"Right, good!" John cheered then he cleared his throat. "It's Jessy, right?" He asked but Sherlock just smirked.

"Jessy's helping me right now." He answered sending John to meet Mycroft.

"You're that desperate keeping me away from your brother?" I asked him after John left. It was obvious that Mycroft wanted him or me to come and definitely not John.

"Is it so hard to believe that I need you here?" He asked raising his eyebrow honestly. I looked into his eyes trying to figure him out, but then I let it go yawning.

"Alright, but what I need is coffee." I said getting up walking to the kitchen. "You want some?" I raised my voice so Sherlock would hear me.

"Poison!" He yelled.

"Come on, it's not that bad..." I said walking back to check him.

"Clostridium botulinum." He stated excitedly as he jumped up from the chair he was sitting on. "It's one of the deadliest poisons on the planet. Carl Powers."

"Oh my god, he was murdered." I put the fragments together. "The shoelaces." I added as my brain progressed fast.

"He suffered from eczema. It would be easy to introduce the poison into his medication. Two hours later he comes to London, the poison paralyses the muscles and he drowns." He continued.

"It's virtually undetectable. Nobody was looking for it." I agreed smiling as the thrill kicked in.

"There are still tiny traces of it in the trainers from where he put the cream on his feet." He confirmed.

"That's why they had to go." I nodded. "So how do we let the bomber know?"

"Get his attention, stop the clock." He said.

"The killer is our bomber." I muttered since he kept the shoes all these years then the pink phone rang and a women sobbed.

"Well done, you. Come and get me."

"Where are you? Tell us where you are." Sherlock asked her as she gave us the coordinates.


End file.
